I shot old Martin & Pearson recurves as a kid and started shooting compounds more seriously in my teens. I pretty much quit archery through my college years and now(a decade later) occasionally shoot and bow hunt, with compounds.
I'd like to get back into traditional archery and my first thought is to buy two bows. One a cheap 35# bow for practice and one better 45-50# recurve to hunt with. I'm pretty well decided on the knock-around/practice bow(Samick) and will snag one soon.
What should I be looking at for a non-custom recurve to hunt with? Bear, Martin, etc.? Any recommendations are appreciated. My only recent experience is my father's 55# Montana long bow, which I didn't like.
Not sure how significant it is but I draw 26.5-27.0" with a compound and like a draw weight between 55-60# depending on the size of the valley.
Get the Samick in both sets of limbs. It will be fine for both hunting and practice,though I personally might go 40-45 lb limbs and just shoot the one set.
When you shoot the Samick enough to get good with it, you will have a much better idea of what you want in a bow. You can kill with any bent stick and string if you can shoot. All the fundamentals are the same. A more expensive bow is for later when you know the exact reasons you want a particular bow.
Lancaster's will be able to help you get the correctly spined arrows. Do some reading on bareshafting arrows and ask specifics when you have them.
Just like guns,I have different bows that I shoot at different times all the way from ILF Olympic to BBO selfbow. I shoot all of them but some might be just for targets,some might be because I wanted a specific wood combo.
When I started I thought I wanted to shoot Howard Hill longbows,but I soon learned that wasn't for me. Find a trad club close to where you live and go to some shoots and try a lot of bows before you put down real serious money.
Get the Samick in both sets of limbs. It will be fine for both hunting and practice,though I personally might go 40-45 lb limbs and just shoot the one set.
When you shoot the Samick enough to get good with it, you will have a much better idea of what you want in a bow. You can kill with any bent stick and string if you can shoot. All the fundamentals are the same. A more expensive bow is for later when you know the exact reasons you want a particular bow.
Consider Southwestarchery.com and a more refined version of the Samick. They have the Spyder (62" amo) and the Spyder XL (amo 64"). I you draw 29"+ , get the Spyder XL. VERY smooth to my 30" draw. You can spend a lot more on a bow, but the Spyder XL can meet your needs for both practice (35# limbs) and hunting. It is easy enough to get heavier draw weight limbs for about $76. southwest archery recurves
Vintage bows? Wing Archery Red Wing Hunter (amo 58"), or Gull ( 64" amo). Damon-Howatt ( ie 62" Hunter), Shakespeare, Pearson, Bear, MANY other lesser known good bows, but from the 1960's they can show age.
ILF option with 17", 19", or 21" riser option.
Ask your question on stickbow leatherwall II ( traditional archery website), or tradgang.com and read what they think.
Honestly, the Southwest Archery Spyder XL is a tremendous shooter. High value item.
You might try Ebay for bows. When I started traditional I bought a light pearson bow cheap to build muscle and form to work up to the Martin hunter I wanted to use. I think I paid 60 for the pearson bow.
You might try Ebay for bows. When I started traditional I bought a light pearson bow cheap to build muscle and form to work up to the Martin hunter I wanted to use. I think I paid 60 for the pearson bow.
My first laminated traditional when I gave up compounds was a Pearson Cougar 62" and 40 lbs. I never killed a deer with it but I did whack a couple squirrels and put an arrow in a coyote once. I paid $35 for that one at an indoor fleamarket. I could still kill something with it if I could get a decent shot.
FWIW I draw 28",......and like 58" bows. If the OP's draw is 28" or less..............why mess with a bow 62" or longer? In a stand, 58" aint exactly too short LOL
There could be a couple of really good reasons. Longer bow less stack. Longer bow less finger pinch. 4 inches more in length isn't much but the benefits can be very good.
I shoot a Hoyt Satori Large Riser and Long Limbs. Very minimal stack at all. My release is very smooth with not much finger pinch. The bow is very smooth and forgiving. I have always said that a few inches isn't going to make that big a deal in the woods, but in the shooting it will make a good difference.
I don't get stack, but then I only draw 28". Finger pinch............don't have sausage fingers. Can shoot 3 under without fingerpinch on 58" rigs.
Have had 56-62" recurves. One bow to do it all.........hunting and 3D...............I like 58".
I like shorter risers so have enough working limb. The Hoyt Dorado is a neat bow, but damn if they didn't do it in 19" and not 17". Just don't need that big a sight window going barebow. Carryover from the low anchor and sights days I guess.
Think they did the Satori in 17". Bout friggin' time.
Had my first Blackwidow 62". Hated it. Tolerated my 60". Have had five of them at 58" and that's what I like. Had Tradtech and Samick, and Hoyt and DH......plus Groves and Warfs and Bears.
I'm not doing Field Archery, or indoors. For me, even when shooting compounds, I always ran hunting gear in 3D. 58" recurve did fine for me there.
Buddies shoot state, indoor and field and have the long Hoyts. They win some too.
Every bow has stack. So lets be realistic! Without stack you have no energy, energy drives the arrow. Stack is relative to what you are willing to tolerate. As for fingers and pinch there is always some form of pinch, again the string can not be pulled back without creating some degree of angle. The less that angle the smoother your release can be.
That is great you like 58" and it works for you and what you are willing to tolerate.
Yes the Satori comes in 17" 19" and 21" riser and short, Medium, and long limbs. So you can tailor it to your liking.
I had a Hoyt Huntmaster that was 58" and it hit the friggin wall at 29". That's what I call stack, when the force becomes disproportionate. BTW, PSE/Samick changed that bow to 60" limbs
I don't shoot a crawl. All my rigs were tillered split. They shot fine with 3 under too, just had to make minor adjustments. If doing the fixed crawl like in the Push video, I would think ILF the way to go (for tiller adj).
Nice to have the ability to adjust, even if you end up not needing to. Experimentation is half the fun.
Yeah I don't change Tiller but like you said it's not a bad thing to have it. The Dorado did not have it. Hoyt took basically everything in an olympic bow and put it into a hunting package.
I shoot split fingers, my Satori has sights. My Toelke Takedown Whip I shoot bare bow, but still split finger.
Couple yrs ago I ripped tendon in bow hand, and broke finger on draw hand...........about a month before season. Normally shot w middle finger corner of mouth anchor, looked at target.............shot a lot so ingrained sight pictures, but never consciously looked at arrow. Was fluid and decent.
Hand injuries I was screwed. 60# bow w 100gr added to insert to get GT55/75 to spine right.......kinda heavy. I tried cheekbone anchor and was WTF?
Aim a bit low and it hit good at 20. Aim high and drop it in at 25. Dropped my anchor and used low sight picture.........dead on at 30.
3 under. Face walking. Stupid easy and accurate/repeatable.
HOWEVER.............it was not fluid, and my higher arm position felt super weird, esp after shooting the other way for decades plus. Zipped my deer ar 25 yards. Worked perfect. I still don't like it.
Hopefully shoot enough this summer to use my old method. I could go 3 under or split. Either is fine.
If I had an ILF again I'd try the crawl..........might be fun to mess with. I really didn't experiment with my Tradtech P2........set it even tiller and it shot good, so just left it alone. Well, I did change the grip and hog out the sight window. Mucho bettero. Alas............it eventually got the dreaded Samick split (riser delam). Didn't care. Got my money's worth out of shooting it.
There was some guy machining Dorado riser to ILF. Like the Dorado riser in looks, more than Satori. But it's 19" so why even bother. Thought about a Morrison. Health issues suggest that a possible waste of $ I'll just shoot my Widow. Finally got a FF rated one (3rd HS model I've had). Really like the grip, like the reg BW wood riser standard grip they have now.......but the HS I like even more. Good enough for me.
Might get a Groves Spitfire Magnum again, if I can find a shorty without broadhead cutout in riser. They tend to crack there. Blocky riser.................just means it came with extra wood. Find one needs refinished, lost collector value........drink beer and break out the Dremel
I love my Toelke Takedown Whip. I had a one piece whip and loved it, but really like the ability to break it down and lash it to my pack on the hike in and out of hunting area.
I second the recommendation of trying a second set of Samick limbs if you go that route. It keeps your investment low in case you come to realize traditional archery just isn't for you. However, keep in mind that with the Samick, the only length available is 62-inches (regardless of limb poundage), which with your short draw length is rather long.
I'm a big fan of Toelke, Robertson, Big Jim, and other custom bow makers, but since you said you wanted non-custom options, I'm a big fan of Bear (currently own 3 traditional and a compound from Bear). A number of box stores still carry Bear bows even if they mainly focus on selling compound bows, so you should be able to go to a store and get a feel for a few models. For your draw length, you might consider a Kodiak Magnum or even a Supermag, both are short bows that are excellent for hunting.
If you're open to a 60-inch bow, the Kodiak (recreation of the 1959 Kodiak) is a very nice off-the-shelf one-piece recurve (I own one and really like it; I own a few custom bows, but this has become my go to).
Another option would be the Bear Takedown model. With an A-riser (the B-riser is longer), you get 56-inch and 60-inch bow length options depending on the limbs you buy to go with it; the design and grip is basically a refined version of the Samick you'll be practicing with. A benefit of Bear, Matthews, Hoyt, and other well-known brands is that you can find used bows at a good price if you're patient (check archerytalk.com forums).
I think your plan to get a Samick to practice with is sound. A lot of people don't go that route, they try to dive in to the deep end, not understanding that traditional archery is very different from compound. Frankly, for the time being, I would recommend you just get the Samick and practice. Then practice some more. Focus just on that, get the fundamentals down. Worry about a second bow and higher poundage later. None of that matters if you can't shoot. Good luck on your journey.
Yeah, based on the advice given here I've decided to get into it on the cheap and get some practice time built up. Fortunately, a small town nearby has a fantastic indoor range and there are a group of guys who shoot a traditional league. I might jump into that or just join the club and see how it goes. I'm guessing I might have the opportunity to try some different bows if I get involved there.
Spend your first $20 on a book called "Shooting the Stickbow". Read it, do what the author suggests and you will be shooting a trad bow better than you ever imagined. As for the bow, something with an ILF Riser makes a lot of sense. Being able to buy and plug in different weight limbs is a very efficient and inexpensive (depending on the limbs) way to go. Lancaster archery has pages of ILF risers and limbs. Make sure you don't start out too heavy ~30# is a great place to be. Work up slowly and only when you can handle the weight. One final thing, the more you shoot your recurves like you shoot your compounds the more accurate you will be. Stand up straight, hold, aim, release, follow through. Trad is a lot of fun, it will test your patience but shooting consistently with accuracy is rewarding.
Bear Grizzly. Lots of used ones out there. Not expensive. Basic design works for almost anyone. Great starter bow. Get 45 model. The more years I spend as a traditional bowhunter (about 40 now) the more I appreciate the simplicity of the Grizzly.
I don't think a take down recurve to be complicated.
Do think bows cut past center, that don't have limb resonance issues (noise) to be better.
Have had three Grizzly recurves (old style) and a factory camo Kodiak (mint). They were all noisy without dampeners and the Kodiak broke my heart............as it was the biggest piece of chit I ever shot. Shock and noise. No wonder it was like new (I was 2nd owner).
I shot old Martin & Pearson recurves as a kid and started shooting compounds more seriously in my teens. I pretty much quit archery through my college years and now(a decade later) occasionally shoot and bow hunt, with compounds.
I'd like to get back into traditional archery and my first thought is to buy two bows. One a cheap 35# bow for practice and one better 45-50# recurve to hunt with. I'm pretty well decided on the knock-around/practice bow(Samick) and will snag one soon.
What should I be looking at for a non-custom recurve to hunt with? Bear, Martin, etc.? Any recommendations are appreciated. My only recent experience is my father's 55# Montana long bow, which I didn't like.
Not sure how significant it is but I draw 26.5-27.0" with a compound and like a draw weight between 55-60# depending on the size of the valley.
Thanks!
I'm in the exact same boat.
Shot glass as a kid. Got into compounds in my 20's. Still hunt and shoot compound a bit but want to try some more traditional stuff.
Just picked up an old Shakespear Yukon 24 recurve. Made in the early 70's but it's in great shape. Just ordered a string and will pick up some carbon arrows with feathers and shoot off the shelf. It's a really light bow. 25#'s figure my 5 and 2 year old can learn on it too.
If I like it and stick with it, I'll pick up a Martin Savannah 45-50'ish #'s
